In part one of this series, we discussed the fact that studies show information leads over entertainment. We discovered that Web site visitors are primarily looking for information, and therefore, ads should be more information-oriented.
The second of the three discoveries in the Jupiter Communications (www.jup.com) survey that I will comment on is the discovery that some online advertising is seen as an extreme annoyance. Let's be sure your ads aren't included in that group.
What They Hate No one likes to be bombarded with advertising. We all see it everywhere we go. It's on television, the radio, billboards, and even grocery story carts for goodness sake. However, online advertising is viewed as the most aggressive.
Jupiter found that 49% of those surveyed said online advertising was the most intrusive of all. Many were willing to tolerate ads in broadcast or print media, probably due to the fact that they could leave the room, change the station or turn the page. However, online ads hold an extremely negative reputation.
From my experience, this is most likely due to the fact that online ads often have a "used car dealer" air to them. I have seen many that look like they're all produced from the same template.
These ads promise the sun, the moon and the stars. They scream about why you simply must buy the product or service. Then, to make it worse, the site captures your email address and you receive hundreds of email advertisements via an autoresponder that apparently has no end.
The Worst Possible Ads The worst offender is pop-up ads. These are the advertisements that pop onto the screen as you click through a Web site. They advertise specials or offer subscriptions to Ezines, etc. Once thought to be a tremendous sales tool, these ads have become increasingly offensive.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of those in the Jupiter survey viewed pop-up ads negatively. Almost 25% found them so annoying they would completely avoid sites that used them. That's a powerful statistic. Can you afford to have 25% of your Web site traffic never return simply because you employ pop-up ads?
What We Can Do To Make It Better So, now that we know what our site visitors hate, how can we adjust our advertising in order to please them (and make them buy)?
Here are some recommendations to consider when creating your next piece of advertising:
1.Don't do "anything and everything" to get the buyer's attention. Everyone that comes to your site isn't going to buy. The harder you try to get their attention and force them to read your ad, the harder they will try to escape.
2.Remember from Part 1 in this series, site visitors are looking for information primarily. Include your ad along with other, useful information. Perhaps you might try offering a free report or article that provides information the visitor can use. At the bottom, insert an advertisement for a product or service you offer that can help them further.
3.Don't use pop-up ads.
4.Keep your target audience in mind. Business people aren't going to have the time or inclination to participate in game-type ads. On the other hand, teenagers love them. If your target group is younger people, games might be the thing for you. Design your ad to meet the preferences of your target customer.
Using these suggestions will help your ads be more readily received - instead of avoided at all costs!
In Part 3, the final article in this series, we'll look at the behavioral aspect of online advertising and discover what characteristics and traits should be kept in mind.
Karon is Owner and President of KT & Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ghostwriting services. Subscribe to KT & Associates' Ezine "Business Essentials" at BusinessEssentials-subscribe@topica.com or visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com
